New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, Tuesday 26 May 2026
The New Brunswick House of Assembly opened with Members' Statements addressing several themes. Opposition members criticized the Holt government's introduction of AI in kindergarten classrooms, the closure of provincial vet services and heritage sites, and continuing closures of childbirth services at the Upper River Valley Hospital, while government members highlighted a $13.7 million federal-provincial worker support agreement, a $1.5 million investment in the Fundy Health Centre, and the ongoing rollout of collaborative care clinics. Non-partisan statements included congratulations to Mount Allison students for their performances at the Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest.
Members' Statements
Mount Allison Japanese language program and speech contest success
Ms. Mitton
Ms. Mitton congratulated Rivka, Dylan, and Alyssa on their performances at the Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest and highlighted Mount Allison's Japanese language program.
AI in kindergarten classrooms
Ms. Conroy
Ms. Conroy criticized the government's plan to introduce AI in kindergarten classrooms, warning of misinformation and citing AI expert Geoffrey Hinton's warnings about AI's potential to manipulate humans.
Concerns about AI in education
Mr. Coon
Mr. Coon expressed concern that the Department of Education had been seduced by AI, arguing that putting the technology in the hands of developing minds would harm critical inquiry, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Federal-provincial agreement to support workers affected by tariffs
Mr. Doucet
Mr. Doucet highlighted a three-year, $13.7 million agreement with the federal government to support workers in forestry, refined petroleum products, and seafood affected by international tariffs through training and skills upgrading.
Questions about AI in kindergarten
Mr. Ames
Mr. Ames raised questions about who is driving the AI-in-kindergarten agenda, who is being paid for curriculum and support, and who has lobbied government, noting it was absent from the government's election platform.
Fundy Health Centre investment
Ms. Wilcott
Ms. Wilcott announced a $1.5 million investment in the Fundy Health Centre collaborative care clinic to expand capacity and connect the 1,138 people in Eastern Charlotte awaiting a primary care provider through NB Health Link.
Criticism of government policy inconsistency
Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee criticized the government for cancelling provincial vet services, the troubled rollout of the school lunch program, and the closure of heritage sites with fewer than 5,000 visitors, calling for stability over a policy grab bag.
Collaborative care clinic rollout
Mr. J. LeBlanc
Mr. J. LeBlanc listed communities with newly opened collaborative care clinics, noting 16 have opened with a commitment to open 30 by the end of 2028, and that the government has passed the halfway point.
Closure of childbirth services at Upper River Valley Hospital
Ms. M. Johnson
Ms. M. Johnson criticized the government for reannouncing existing programs while the obstetrics unit at the Upper River Valley Hospital remains closed, recalling that two babies were previously born outside hospital.
Collaborative care clinic in Beaurivage
Mr. Mallet
Mr. Mallet announced a new collaborative care clinic in Beaurivage, noting the government has passed the halfway mark toward 30 clinics by 2028, having opened 11 in 2025 with 12 more planned by year end.
Criticism of government's education record
Mr. Weir
Mr. Weir criticized the Holt government's education record, citing the firing of librarians, lowering of achievement standards, and driving kindergarten children to AI.
Mount Allison Japanese language program achievements
Ms. Mitton
Ms. Mitton congratulated Rivka, Dylan, and Alyssa on their performances at the Canadian National Japanese Speech Contest, highlighting the excellence of Mount Allison's Japanese language program.
AI in kindergarten classrooms (Opposition criticism)
Ms. Conroy
Ms. Conroy criticized the government's plan to introduce AI in kindergarten classrooms, warning of misinformation and citing AI expert Geoffrey Hinton's concerns about AI's potential to manipulate humans, expressing a lack of confidence in the Premier's judgment.
AI in education (Opposition criticism)
Mr. Coon
Mr. Coon argued that the Department of Education has been seduced by artificial intelligence, warning that putting AI in the hands of developing young minds as a learning buddy will harm students' critical inquiry, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Federal-provincial agreement supporting tariff-affected workers
Mr. Doucet
Mr. Doucet highlighted the government's three-year, $13.7 million agreement with the federal government to support workers affected by international tariffs in key sectors including forestry, refined petroleum products, and seafood.
AI in kindergarten - questions about the agenda (Opposition criticism)
Mr. Ames
Mr. Ames raised questions about who is driving the AI-in-kindergarten agenda, who is being paid for the curriculum, and whether companies or lobbyists are profiting, noting nothing about it was in the government's election platform.
Fundy Health Centre investment
Ms. Wilcott
Ms. Wilcott highlighted the government's $1.5 million investment to expand the Fundy Health Centre collaborative care clinic in eastern Charlotte County, which will connect 1,138 people currently waiting for a primary care provider.
Government policy inconsistency (Opposition criticism)
Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee criticized the government's unpredictable policy direction, citing cancelled provincial veterinary services, the troubled rollout of the school lunch program, and the closure of heritage sites with fewer than 5,000 visitors.
Collaborative care clinics rollout
Mr. J. LeBlanc
Mr. J. LeBlanc listed communities where collaborative care clinics have opened and noted the government has opened 16 clinics, passing the halfway point toward its goal of 30 by the end of 2028.
Obstetrics closure at Upper River Valley Hospital (Opposition criticism)
Ms. M. Johnson
Ms. M. Johnson criticized the government for reannouncing existing services and the continuing closure of childbirth services at the Upper River Valley Hospital, recalling two babies born outside a hospital during a previous closure.
Collaborative care clinic in Beaurivage
Mr. Mallet
Mr. Mallet announced that with the new Beaurivage clinic the government has passed the halfway mark toward its 30-clinic goal, noting 11 clinics opened in 2025 with 12 more planned by year end.
Government education record (Opposition criticism)
Mr. Weir
Mr. Weir criticized the Holt government's education record, citing the firing of librarians, lowering of achievement standards, and driving kindergarten children to AI, arguing the government has removed the human touch from education.
This is Tabled's summary of the sitting, written from the official record; Hansard is only ever quoted at the link above. Search New Brunswick Hansard for the words themselves, or read Hansard — May 26, 2026 — afternoon (Legislature 61, Session 2), 41 2026-05-26b.